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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · season · shower · chair · suit · mate · rush · straw

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rush — hurry
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — to fit
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. suit — in cards
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mate — a friend
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mate — to breed
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mate — a partner
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. season — in sport
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. season — of the year
  22. game — a match
  23. chair — a leader
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com